After the Fallout
by rogue-scholar07
Summary: He came to mourn the demise of a six-year relationship. She just wanted to get away from her roommates. They never meant to take it any farther than a pleasant conversation in a bar...but maybe this was exactly what they both needed. Oneshot.


**A/N:** So, this is something I never saw myself doing, but that I hope will turn out well: a ship unlike any other. Or, at least, the start of one. It's set in the aftermath of a version of season 5 in which the characters are kept closer to their prior canon personalities.

As usual, I don't own anything but the plot here. All characters belong to Nick/Rainbow. If I did own these characters, season 5 would have played out much differently.

**After the Fallout**

It was yet another stinging defeat, one added to the end of a long list that seemed to expand exponentially as time went on. And for the record, she was rather sick of losing in such a disgraceful manner, but couldn't seem to rally her sisters to do what it took to win anymore. Especially since Icy went all mopey over the loss of Tritannus and decided to hole up in her room for reasons unknown to her sisters, and Darcy hated not knowing things of that importance.

She knew why they were on such a losing streak and why they would continue down this long road to self-destruction. The once-feared Trix coven had lost their connection to each other. At one time, the three avatars of the ancestral witches were so in-tune with one another that they could very nearly read each other's minds. Only their own foolish pride kept them from becoming the masters of Magix during their first run-in with the Winx, something that Darcy was well aware of but her sisters refused to acknowledge. Over time, that bond had eroded to the point where the women she now shared a lair with were more like casual acquaintances than sisters.

"Dragon, why is she still so upset about that?" Stormy complained, laying her head back against the beat-up armchair in an exasperated fashion.

"I guess she must have been more attached to him than we thought." Darcy muttered, sparing a glance at the hallway. The witch who had continually sworn off love as a lesser emotion unworthy of her time had fallen hard for the mermaid prince. Harder than Darcy ever thought the ice witch ever could, actually. The loss of the attractive but deranged male had left the eldest Trix in a state of shocked depression.

"I can't believe she's being so sappy!" the younger witch's voice rose an octave as she gestured wildly with her hands. "It's like we don't exist anymore to her. Like we're not family anymore."

"Stormy, we haven't acted like true sisters since that business with Valtor." The brunette pointed out. "We've spent entirely too much time together since our senior year; we should have taken some time off for ourselves over the years, but we didn't and now we're on the verge of falling apart."

"Maybe we should split off and leave the melted ice-queen here?" Stormy perked up. "We could see the worlds; cause mayhem and destruction…"

"Stormy, if I go anywhere, I will be going alone. You should do the same." The older witch remarked, flipping her longer front curls behind her shoulders. She should probably cut her hair and buy some colored contacts at some point, just to make it harder for magical law enforcement to identify her on sight. Maybe a nice, relaxing afternoon at a salon and a trip to a local pub this evening was just the thing she needed?

* * *

Crown Prince Sky of Eraklyon needed to seriously re-examine his priorities. Namely, how his relationship with princess Bloom of Domino was affecting Eraklyon.

While most of the other specialists and fairies thought that his relationship with the redheaded Dragon Fire fairy was a fairytale, reality painted a very different story. Issues glanced over and swept under the rug early in their relationship were now popping up like weeds in a garden, making the pair miserable. He'd expected her to be angry when he suggested that they go through a trial separation over the summer, but instead found relief in those cyan eyes. Evidently, she felt that time apart, and perhaps time with another partner, was much needed. They'd dated for six long years without making any discernible progress toward the goal of being true soul-mates, she reminded him. If those bonds hadn't formed yet, then they probably never would and it was time for the both of them to accept it.

He'd been rather infatuated with her, at first—something he'd never felt for Diaspro. Bloom was sweet, naïve, and pure-hearted when he first met her, which was a refreshing change from the various princesses and ladies of the court he'd had to deal with over the years. However, as time and battles forced her to grow up, Bloom had changed as well. He barely recognized any of that once-awkward teenager in the often-possessive spitfire she was today.

Yes, he had grown to care for her, but had he ever loved her? The more he pondered it, the more the clearly the answer became a resounding 'no'. He had been in love with the idea of being in love, not in love with Bloom.

He might not have loved her like she deserved to be loved, but breaking up with her still hurt. However, as the heir apparent to the throne, he could not show his inner turmoil in an outward manner during official realm visits to other worlds. The current trip to Cosmosia was no exception. He had been hiding his emotions non-stop for nearly two weeks and had finally reached the breaking point tonight. Sneaking out of his room in the royal palace, Sky made his way to the darker end of the main city and parked himself at a bar in the area.

Knowing that he wasn't the only Specialist feeling the sting of a breakup wasn't helping much either. Flora and Helia were no longer together, the whole business with Krystal having ruined their once-strong relationship. He didn't know what exactly Flora was up to, but it seemed that Helia had taken it upon himself to help Aisha finally come to terms with Nabu's death. Brandon and Stella were on the verge of a meltdown, and Tecna and Timmy had mutually agreed to put their relationship on hold while they focused their careers. The only couple not having problems over the summer was Musa and Riven.

He was half-way done with his second glass of ale when he heard an amused chuckle from the person sitting next to him. "What's so funny?" he inquired, looking the woman over. She was of average height with green eyes and brown hair styled into a chin-length flipped-out layered bob. She didn't ooze beauty like Stella usually did, but had a quiet, seductive edge to her appearance.

"Just thinking about what the tabloids will say about this." A pleased smirk played across her red-tinted lips. Her voice sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn't match it with her face. "You look like you could be a body-double for that annoyingly perfect prince who's visiting this weekend."

"The annoyingly perfect prince wouldn't be caught dead in a dump like this knocking back the strongest ale he could get his hands on." He scoffed, not wanting to reveal his true identity. He didn't want to be perfect prince Sky tonight. "He would lock himself in his chambers and order the castle's finest wine instead."

"You make a convincing argument." She shrugged, taking a sip of whatever beverage was in front of her. "I bet his overbearing girlfriend wouldn't tolerate him being seen in such a dive."

"You forget about the royal parents trying to maintain whatever 'street cred' they have left." He added. "Which isn't much lately. They bailed on Oritel when he asked for aid twenty years ago, and then there was the whole scandal with Princess Diaspro of Isis and Bloom of Domino."

"A scandal started by the prince perfect's inability to tell Bloom that he was engaged when he met her, from what I'd heard." She pursed her lips in thought. "Didn't those two have a giant cat-fight?"

"They still have cat-fights whenever they're in the same room, or haven't you kept up with the latest gossip?" He didn't usually kvetch about his exes, though he was now wondering why he hadn't sooner. It was rather cathartic.

"Do you mean the one at that farce of a sovereign's meeting? Yes, I'd heard about it." The mysterious brunette snorted. "You'd think after six years that little Miss Bloom would grow up instead of degenerating to such a crass state of jealousy."

"In all fairness, Prince Perfect hasn't given her much cause to trust him." He would freely admit that. "He lied to her about his relationship status and briefly returned to Diaspro's side while under the influence of a love potion a few years ago."

"Oh yeah… I'd forgotten about the potion thing." Green eyes sparkled back at his blue ones. "Then again, most of the papers left that detail out in favor of running with the Sky/Diaspro/Valtor love triangle thing. Which was totally ridiculous, by the way."

"Indeed. Valtor already had three attractive witches by his side; why waste his time with Diaspro when her heart clearly longed for someone else?"

"He might have been a creepy bibliophile, but the man did have standards." She nodded, finishing off her drink.

"Another round for the lady." He told the bartender, garnering an annoyed grunt from his new companion.

"Don't know where you got your information, but I'm not much of a lady."

"You're more a lady than anyone else in here." He made a sweeping motion around the room with his left hand. "Don't know why you're so intent on drinking tonight, come to think of it."

"I need something to get the sound of my friend's nagging and whining out of my head." She grumbled, taking a rough gulp of her refilled drink. "One just went through a gnarly break-up, and the other hasn't matured any since college. We share a flat, so the only way to catch a break was to come here."

"Friends tend to be like that." He rolled his eyes, finishing off his fourth (or maybe the fifth, he'd lost count at three) glass of alcohol. "Sometimes they're the best part of life; sometimes they make you want to end it just to get them to shut up."

"See, you get that. Why can't more people understand that?" She sighed. "It's not that hard a subject to grasp is it?"

"No, it's not." He shook his head, causing his short hair to fly around his face like a halo. "But some people just don't want to understand. They aren't like us."

"And what are we, exactly?" She asked, her gaze piercing into his very soul. Or, at least, that's what it felt like to him. "Two whiney-assed drunks who want to spend the night debating politics and gossip magazine articles?"

"More like two lonely drunks trying to make sense of the shit-storm of life going on around them." He remarked, leaning closer to her. It was probably the alcohol talking, but he was suddenly very attracted to the girl next to him. And he didn't even know her name!

* * *

Darcy frowned, studying the stranger next to her critically. He looked just like prince Sky, but the way he was acting gave her cause to doubt whether or not he could be the heir to the Eraklyon throne. She was just thankful that her new look kept him from recognizing her. The new haircut and contact lenses were working perfectly, although the alcohol in his system was certainly helping her cause.

"And what should we do about the shit-storm?" She asked, searching his deep blue eyes. She knew where this was going, but wasn't quite sure what to do about it. And she really should be doing something…shouldn't she? Worst-case scenario: he's the real Prince Perfect. He's obviously not with the mouthy redhead anymore, or he wouldn't be alone in a bar like this. Prince Perfect hiding out in a dive bar could only mean that he was looking for a release he couldn't get elsewhere. He'd wanted to find it in the alcohol, but now seemed to think that she could give it to him.

"Find shelter and hang on to each other until it blows over." There was a hunger in his eyes that was impossible for her to ignore. And dammit, she wanted to help him sate it, just to give her an outlet for the vast amount of sexual frustration she'd accrued over the last three years. It would be wrong to give in, though. So very, very wrong and stupid with both of them in a state of impaired judgment.

Yet… "Just don't hold on too tight; I don't do clingy." She taunted, dropping her tone to a seductive purr.

"Wouldn't dream of it." A playful smirk lighted on his lips. "I doubt we'll ever meet again after this, so what's the point anyway?" For a drunk, he was awfully logical. Or maybe it was her own tipsiness making him sound more logical than he really was?

Not that it mattered. Right, wrong, or indifferent, he was hers for tonight. "You know, I'm just desperate enough to take you up on that."

* * *

The morning sunlight streamed through the windows as Darcy entered her apartment. Her head was starting to pound, a sure sign of a building hangover, but otherwise she was completely satisfied with how her night out had gone.

"You're back." The brunette witch nearly dropped her keys on the floor at the sound of Icy's voice. She whirled on her heels to face her sister-witch. For the first time in weeks, Icy actually looked somewhat presentable.

"You're awake before noon." She returned, trudging to the refrigerator and retrieving a bottle of water. "And dressed. What's the occasion?"

"Stormy mentioned that you'd gone out last night." The silver-haired woman looked strangely apprehensive. "I wanted to talk to you when you got home."

"About what? Another hare-brained attempt to rule the world?" Darcy scoffed, taking a few gulps of water. "It was fun the first two or three times, but now it's just bothersome. You and I both know that, even if Stormy refuses to see it."

"Stormy refuses to acknowledge that she's not a teenager anymore." Icy deadpanned, causing the dark witch to choke on her drink. Some time had passed since Icy made any attempt at sarcasm. "And you're right; this whole world-domination thing isn't panning out like I thought it would."

"No duh, snowflake." She rolled her eyes, taking a seat across from the older witch at the kitchen table. "That's what happens when a coven loses their connection, or did you skip over that section in Witchcraft 101?"

"I didn't skip over it… I simply refused to believe it could happen to us." The pale-eyed woman finished in a soft, quiet voice. "I never thought we would fall apart like that. Dragon, I'm not even sure when we started drifting, just that we did and now we're just three witches living in an apartment instead of three best friends sharing a home."

Darcy narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the older female's behavior. The signs were rather obvious to her. "You want to leave, don't you?"

"You don't seem too upset about it."

"Let's just say I've been having that same internal debate since you and Tritannus started acting all lovey-dovey on each other. A little time apart isn't necessarily a bad thing, you know."

"Try telling that to Stormy."

"Oh, let Stormy figure it out on her own; she needs to grow up anyway."

"She's going to think we've abandoned her."

"It's not like I'm going to be cutting off all contact with her. I just don't want to be in the same residence with her anymore."

"Fair point." Icy shrugged, looking down at the mug of tea clasped in her hands. "And splitting up will make it harder for people to recognize us, especially if we follow your lead and get makeovers."

"It worked damn well on that Specialist last night." A pleased smile formed on her face, causing her friend to frown.

"What specialist?"

"It seems that the high and mighty prince perfect likes to slum it with the commoners when he's depressed. He's also mourning the death of his relationship with the annoying Dragon-fire fairy and needed a little…stress-release."

"How in Shadowhaunt did you manage that?" Icy blurted out, but then held her right hand into the air. "Wait. Stop. I don't want to know."

"Whatever you want, sister." Darcy smirked. "So, when are you moving out?"

"Soon as I can find a job to pay rent." The Ice witch sighed. "Much as I hate dealing with people, I need the income more."

"And you can't get by doing psychic readings." The dark witch remarked. "Rent for this month is covered, so you and Storm don't need to worry about it. I plan on being out of here by the end of the week."

"I wish you luck." Icy stated. "Dragon knows we need all of it we can get!"

* * *

Five years later…

Darcy sighed as her last customer left the shop/house she worked out of. There was a sign in the front window reading 'Daria's Psychic Readings', using the name she gave to the general public rather than her real name. Cosmosians were whole-hearted believers in astrology and palm readings, two subjects she'd always aced at college. Though a long way away from being the most popular fortune teller in the realm, she had gained a very loyal following here in the capital city of Etoile. That was a good thing, since she was buying food and clothing for two people nowadays.

"Mama! Mama look!" A soft smile crossed her face as she turned to face her four-year-old daughter. Semira had wrapped a scarf around her little head…with a tambourine on top of it.

"What are you doing?" She asked, hands on her hips.

"I'm a gip-shee! Just like you!" The child crowed, holding her head high. Her green eyes shimmered with pride as she looked up at her mother.

"I'm a fortune teller, not a real gypsy." Darcy chuckled, walking over to the little blonde girl and lifting the tambourine off her head. "And I certainly don't put musical instruments on my head. Why don't you go put that tambourine back where you found it?"

"Mmm… okay!" the girl nodded so quickly that the percussion instrument fell to the floor with a small thud. She swiftly grabbed the object and rushed into one of the back room.

Shaking her head, the witch started to walk toward the kitchen area. Reading fortunes all day made her feel thirsty.

She heard the front door chime as she took a drink of her tap water. "Just a minute!" She called, setting her glass down on the counter. The distinctive sound of Semira's tiny feet pattering toward the front door sounded, causing the woman to smile. Semira fancied herself the official greeter and insisted on meeting everyone who came through the door.

"Hi! Welcome to the shop! Momma will come see you soon!" The little girl gave her usual greeting as Darcy entered the foyer.

"I certainly hope she does." A man spoke in a soft tone. Once she walked into the ante-room, she was able to look at him. He had close-cropped blonde hair, strong facial features, and a pair of blue eyes she would not soon forget. "I need someone like her to help me."

"Momma can help!" Semira chirped before spinning around to face her. "Momma! The nice man came to see you!"

"I noticed." Darcy replied as King Sky of Eraklyon, dressed in the full suit, cape, and crown befitting a royal—looked up at her. This time, he was making no attempt to hide his identity from her. "Why don't you go play in your room for a while, sweetie?"

"Okay!" And with that affirmation, the child ran back toward her bedroom.

"Cute kid." Sky remarked calmly. "Where's her father."

"Standing in front of me." She folded her arms across her chest as his eyes widened in shock. "I'm not a complete idiot, your highness. I have no intention of publicizing our night together, but that doesn't mean that I was completely ignorant of your identity."

"How did you know who I was?" He frowned.

"Your photo was in all the major news publications for the duration of your stay last time." She waved. "Now, did you come in here for small talk or for business?"

"Business. Princess Sitara tells me you're one of the best fortune tellers around, and I happen to need a second opinion." He explained.

"Always good to get a second opinion when it comes to fortunes." She remarked, gesturing toward the sitting room where she normally conducted her readings. "Palm, tarot, tea leaf, or horoscope?"

"As many as you can do in one session." Sky sighed, sinking into the padded armchair. "I need all the help I can get."

"I'm going to assume that someone is claiming that your life is in eminent danger and move on." She remarked. "Hold out your hand, please."

He obeyed, stretching his right palm out toward her. She grasped it gently, studying the lines, scars, and callouses marking his hands. "You'll be pleased to know that you will likely live for several more years; long enough for you to see yours and Flora's son off to college."

"How did… no, wait, it was in the papers. Never mind." He sighed. In the mess that had been the Tritannus aftermath, he eventually fell madly in love with and married the Guardian Fairy of Linphea. His parents didn't like her as much as they had Diaspro, but had agreed that the soft-spoken Nature fairy would make a better queen than Bloom. They'd been married just over two years, and Flora had recently given birth to their first child.

"If you don't mind my asking, who gave you the 'death-on-the-horizon' fortune?" She asked. "Was it a faux psychic or just some crazy person?"

"An old woman whom my father claims to be a practitioner, but is either a complete fraud or completely senile." Sky snorted in a decidedly un-royal manner. "Now, Daria, we have some other business to discuss…Dragon, why didn't you tell me as soon as you knew?"

"And risk a scandal? No, I think not." She glared at him. "We had a good night together, there's no denying that, but we aren't good together. It never would have worked; you and I both know that. You're a king and I've had more run-ins with magical law enforcement than I care to remember, some of which you yourself spearheaded."

The blond man's eyebrows knit together in contemplation. "When did I ever…?" His eyes widened and eyebrows arched as realization sank in. "You're Darcy Trix, aren't you?"

"Yeah, when I was young and stupid." She admitted. There was no point in denying it now. "It's Daria now. In case you haven't noticed, I'm trying to put my troubled teenage years behind me permanently."

"For her?" He questioned, gesturing into the other part of the house.

"In part, yes, but it was also for me. I decided it was time for a change, so I made that change happen." Not without fighting Stormy tooth and nail for it, but it had been done. Icy and her son Lucien were living somewhere on Earth now, since it was a large enough planet to get lost in. She had no clue where Stormy was now. "The only one of the old coven still intent on causing trouble these days is Stormy, who I haven't seen in over a year."

"Never thought I'd see the day when the Trix gave up causing trouble." He remarked, bitterness seeping into his voice.

"Two of us grew up and one didn't. Grown-ups have more pressing things to worry about than getting back at a group of women at least three years our juniors." She shrugged. "And last I checked, the aforementioned Winx Club has fallen apart as well."

He opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it again and sighed. She had a valid point and he knew it. "I guess we've all changed a lot since college."

"Parenthood does that to you." She stated.

"Yes…about that…" he sighed "I can understand why you don't want her in the public eye, and laws on Eraklyon prevent a bastard child from being named heir apparent unless the other children by the Queen are either dead or otherwise incompetent so the likelihood of her taking the throne is so slim it would fit through a crack in the floorboards. However, since she is my daughter, I want to at least offer to pay for her education, once she is old enough to attend college."

"Well, that's more than I expected you to do." She remarked. "I'm surprised you don't have me arrested and take her back for Flora to raise."

"Why bother?" He looked her in the eyes. "Aside from not going by your given name, you don't seem to be doing anything illegal here. And as you stated earlier, Stormy's the only Trix still causing trouble. If I leave you here, I can keep an eye on a supposedly-reformed criminal much easier while gaining the added benefit of not having my own daughter hate me for taking her mother away."

"Semira." She broke in suddenly. "Her name is Semira; please use it."

"Fine. I wouldn't want Semira to hate me. Are you happy now?"

"Not really, but it's the best I can currently hope for." She sighed. "Now, since we have quite run out of things to discuss, will you leave by yourself or will I need to make you?"

"I am perfectly capable of showing myself to the door." He remarked, standing up. She did the same and walked back into the foyer. "What do I owe you for this session?"

"The same as everyone else does." She gestured to a chalkboard which outlined the different prices for her various services.

Sky looked it over, obviously trying to gauge whether or not the prices were fair. He reached into a pouch strung around his waist and pulled out a couple of currency notes. "I'll be in touch. I may even come back to visit her in person again, if you will allow it."

Darcy was no fool. That was more of an order than a suggestion, she thought as she accepted the offered payment. "I'm sure she would be thrilled to see you again." She rolled her eyes as the king of Eraklyon opened the door. "Don't forget to tell those friends of yours that Daria of Cosmosia gave you the correct fortune." She smirked. He shook his head, a chuckle escaping his lips.

"But of course." He replied, walking out the door. "Oh, and put that tip towards Semira's college fund."

Tip? What tip? She looked down and noticed that, sure enough, he had left a rather generous tip in addition to the required payment. "Oh, I will." She answered. Even somewhere like Beta Academy, which wasn't one of the highest-ranked institutions in the known realms, carried a hefty tuition fee. Cloud Tower was going to drive her into bankruptcy if she didn't start saving up now.

With one last glance at her, he walked toward a waiting vehicle, his royal guards (who must have been standing outside her front door, since she never saw them enter) following close behind. It would have been perfectly fine for Darcy if he got into his fancy chariot and never dropped into her life again, but she knew that wouldn't be the case. Honor was a big deal to an Eraklyon noble, and it would be most dishonorable to ignore the existence of his firstborn.

She would see him again whether she wanted to or not.


End file.
